1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a hinge device of portable equipment, suitable for use in opening and closing a first and a second case body in the direction in which either of said case bodies separates from the other, or in rotating the same along the surfaces of the both, and to a portable telephone provided with said hinge device.
2. Description of the Related Art
Among portable telephones which belong to portable equipment, the foldable ones are marketed, and such foldable portable telephones have a first case body as with a keyboard portion and a microphone portion mounted on the top surface thereof on one hand, and on the other, a second case body with a display portion and a speaker portion and rotatably connect by means of hinge device either of the case bodies to each other. In the above-mentioned foldable portable telephones a second case body is rotatably connected through a hinge device with the rear portion of the top surface, thus realizing a closure of a transmitter portion by allowing the second case body to overlap a transmitter portion on the top surface of the first case body: in other words, since the transmitter portion is closed in a condition in which the first case body overlaps the second, the user may make use of the portable phone thereof available by rotating the second case body with regard to the first in order to expose the transmitter portion (i.e. separate the transmitter portion from the second case body), with one hand grasping the first case body, while the other grasping the second.
In the recent years, among portable telephones, those with various functions as those incorporating a use of communication lines such as internet are found in the market. Such portable telephones, cannot fulfill their functions, since the angle of first case body with regard to the second would be limited as far as they have a structure for rotating the first and the second case body only for the purpose of closure and exposure of the transmitter portion. Therefore one kind of portable telephones is proposed, wherein, in addition to the rotation of a first case body, for closure and exposure of transmitter portion, in a direction in which the first case body is disengaged from a second, may be rotated in a horizontal direction (thus realizing a rotation along the surfaces of the first case body and second case body with one of the surfaces of either one body being contacted with the other). A document thereof, Japanese Laid-Open No. 2004-138092, is known to the public.
A hinge device described in this Patent Document 1 is configured, wherein a first case body is connected with a second so as to be rotatable around a first hinge pin which extends in a direction parallel to the cross direction of a first case body, a first case body being connected with a second so as to be horizontally rotatable around a second hinge pin which extends in a direction perpendicular to the first hinge pin, so that either of the first and second case body may rotate around two rotation axes in a direction different from the other. However, such hinge device is not provided with functions holding a first case body to be locked at a position relative to a second, allowing each of a first and second case body to easily rotate through two rotation axes. Consequently, where e.g. the user makes a call on the telephone or uses communication lines such as internet, it may be sometimes difficult to talk to the phone or see the display, because of the position of the first and second case body to be easily out of an appropriate alignment. Accordingly a use of an engagement convex portion and engagement concave portion being engaged by operating a pin using a biasing force of a spring is proposed, for the purpose of keeping the first and second case body locked to each other at a predetermined position while each of the case bodies can rotate through second hinge pin; in such case however, because of an increased number of parts mounted, a mounting would be complicated and the costs are increased. Furthermore, another proposed device is characterized by an engagement convex portion and engagement concave portion being engaged in order to keep locked to each other at a predetermined position the first and second case body while each shall rotate through first hinge pin; in such case, two members would be necessitated, one with an engagement protrusion portion and another with engagement concave portion, and thus these two members keep case bodies locked at one position. As a result, in order that a first and second case bodies may be kept locked, at three different positions, a closing position on one hand, in which a transmitter portion on the top surface of a first case body is closely contacted with a second case body, and on the other two opening positions which both allow the user to use such portable telephone by exposing a transmitter portion, six members in total shall be necessitated since an engagement convex portion and an engagement concave portion should be separately engaged at each of the above positions, requiring again an increased number of parts, a complicated mounting, and increased costs. Moreover, conventional portable telephones would necessitate complicated settings, in order to include complex operations and characteristics by means of hinge device.